Just Getting By
by MYfeetAREgluedTOtheGROUND
Summary: Hikari never knew her family- but she may just find a lead while shes on team seven... first story
1. Chapter 1

Life, for some it is all they have to grasp for and so they live to the fullest each day, but for others- for me- it is just a fun little show for others to watch and ridicule, and so we hide ourselves from the rest of the world- nothing to care about, nothing to protect, our lives are but a small dot on a large pointillism canvas.

And so in an attempt to give my life purpose I dedicated myself to my village, The Village Hidden in The Leaves, and joined the academy to train to become a ninja. I thought it was the perfect occupation, I get to fight, train and make money- my three favourite things while at the same time helping people, not that I really cared, in my mind people should be able to help themselves and if they cant, well, it is survival of the fittest.

My name is Hikari, I don't have a last name, at least not that I know of, in fact I don't even have a family- I was just _there_. According to the Hokage my mother had some one promise to bring me from the hidden mist village to the hidden leaf village before she died giving birth and my father was unable to care for me, but I knew the truth, he just didn't care. I don't blame him, I truly am a pitiful child mourning over _life_ and wishing for death but to scared to die…

I live in a small apartment in the south side of the village that the Hokage provided along with a weekly allowance for food and clothes. If I wanted extra I'd have to do side jobs but I never liked working for other people with them giving me commanding orders when I could probably do it more efficiently on my own.

Our story starts at eight twenty seven on a Friday morning far after the sun had risen. I was heading to the academy and it appeared I was going to be late… _again, _but it's not my fault, truly I can't help it that I sleep in, or even just get caught up in a good book.

My feet moved at a slow steady rhythm as I made my way to the academy, I wasn't in a hurry, we had just graduated and I was only going to find out what team I was on then I was out of there until I had to meet my new sensei. Besides master Iruka was probably just giving a speech on how were 'adults now' and need to 'act with dignity'…or something…

After what felt like a short time my gaze rose to meet the academy doors- had I really already walked all that way? - And I pushed it open with a sigh and slipped into the hallway. My dark hair brushed my face and I unsuccessfully tried to blow in out of the way, and instead got a mouthful of the menace. My hair had just been dyed yesterday so it tasted _horrible_, but I couldn't let people see my real hair color- it stood out to much, and I did _not _like to be noticed.

I reached the door to my classroom, closed my dark eyes and reached for the door, to my surprise it opened by itself, well not really a hand reached out and pushed it open. There stood Shikamaru Nara, the 'class genius' but of course he's also the laziest person on this planet so he didn't even acknowledge me- how rude!- as he slunk out of the classroom and down the hallway. My eyes trailed him as he left and then turned back to the classroom….the _empty_ classroom! My eyes darted across the room until the reached the clock on the wall. Nine forty-seven… I missed the orientation….

I sighed and- to my surprise- actually felt some what disappointed, well until I heard a rather loud throat clearing. My gaze swiftly followed the sound only to find master Iruka in the classroom at his desk… how did I miss that?

"Hikari," he started calmly, but I knew he was livid "do you happen to know what time it is?"

I smiled nervously "yes sir, it is nine forty-eight, and I know I missed the orientation but if you would just tell me what team I'm-." I didn't get to finish my sentence as I was cut off ever so politely by the Chunin "IT'S YOUR FIRST DAY AS A GENIN AND YOU CAN'T EVEN SHOW UP ON TIME FOR CLASS? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW BAD THAT MAKES YOU LOOK? I'M SURPRISED THE HOKAGE FOUND A JONIN WILLING TO TAKE YOU ON AS A STUDENT!"

I winced slightly after master Iruka's speech "I apologize sir but you wouldn't be saying such things if you saw the poor cat," I said trying my best to look cute and innocent

"Cat?" he replied warily

"Yes! I found a cat on my way here, it was a scrawny thing, and it's head was stuck a fence, and I couldn't just leave it there so I broke the fence and freed it then I took it back to my house to give it some milk, but it turns out the cat belongs to my neighbor and it went missing two weeks ago, so I returned it to them and then I tried to rush to class but I just couldn't make it in time…" I lied smoothly while feigning disappointment

"Hikari…" master Iruka growled "yes Iruka-sensei?" I asked innocently

"I'M YOUR ONLY NEIGHBOR!"

_Bad plan, bad plan! _I chanted in my head "wait! What does that mean? Did they lie to me!" I gasped, praying that master Iruka would buy it. Of course he didn't but luck seemed to be on my side seeing as how he gave up. Yeah that's right, gave up, he sighed and rubbed his left temple with his middle and index finger "fine, whatever, just stop with the lies…" he suddenly composed himself and then looked me in the eye "you are on team seven, your team mates are Sakura Haruno, Naruto Uzamaki and Sasuke Uchiha, you are to meet here with the rest of your team at twelve thirty to meet your Jonin instructor." Iruka sighed for the umpteenth time "now please leave so I can enjoy my lunch in peace..."

I nodded curtly then turned on my heel and made my way out the building and into the academy courtyard.

_So obsessive fan girl, hyperactive idiot, and last but _certainly_ least Sasuke-bastard, wow we will be a super team… _I thought sarcastically as a kicked an unfortunate rock that just so happened to get in my path _maybe our sensei wont be so bad…? _I thought hopefully but quickly discarded the idea with a sigh "well I can't let my opinions put us in a bad situation, they _will_ be my team mates and we _will _have to look out for each other…" with that conclusion I continued my walk along the winding paths of the courtyard for what felt like hours until I spotted some one walking in the same direction, they were oddly dressed to say the least, aside from the traditional Jonin out fit he had odd spiked silver hair wore a mask covering his whole face except his eyes and his leaf head band covering his left eye, leaving only the right to spot me as I jogged on over to him lazily.

"Hey, do you have the time?" I asked in a bored tone he looked down at his wrist- which I might add didn't have a watch- and then looked up and replied matching my bored tone "two o'clock." I nodded "thanks." And then made some quick hand signs for a jutsu I recently took the time to learn and disappeared in a poof of smoke.

I reappeared right outside the classrooms door and put on my best '_I want to be here_' face then slid the door open and… POOF! A chalk eraser landed on my head giving my hair a slight white tinge.

"HA HA! Gotcha!" I heard from across the room and I can't say my eyebrow wasn't twitching

"I'm so sorry sensei! I tried to stop him, but Naruto…" the girlish voice trailed off and I lifted my gaze to see two boys and a girl of my age, one of the boys-Sasuke I presumed- had dark hair and a stony glare fixed on me while the other- Naruto- was like his exact opposite, bright blond hair, wearing an orange jump suit and laughing hysterically but the girl annoyed me the most, she had bright pink hair that made me want to vomit and was apologizing to me like crazy- I knew for a _fact _that this was Sakura.

"HOLD UP!" I commanded after dusting the white out of my hair and instantly they responded with silence- well except the dark haired boy I figured to be Sasuke, he was already silent- "I am _not _your sensei, do I even look any older than you?" Sakura gazed around nervously while naruto just stared at me with a blank look "Then are you here to tell us why our sensei is an hour and a half late? Did he have to leave on an assassination mission? What? _What_?"

I sighed… _this teamwork thing is going to be harder than I thought _"I'm your _**team mate**_**, **Hikari."

"AW MAN!" naruto exclaimed "I was really hoping to get our sensei back for being late!"

I, along with Sakura, sweat dropped "why don't you just reset the trap…" naruto brightened up at this idea and picked up the eraser to get to work.

"I'm Sakura!" I heard from beside me

"I know," I replied bored "they did tell us the names of our team mates you know." "Oh, right…" she sounded disappointed, I figured she was hoping to get a best friend out of me- three words _Not. Gonna. Happen._

I strode over to the desk farthest from Sakura but unfortunately Sasuke-bastard was already sitting there so I settled for the one beside his, ignoring the hateful glares that Sakura kept giving me and getting lost in my thoughts- blocking out the rest of the world. _Damn Sakura is already getting on my nerves and she only spoke like two sentences! Not that Naruto is much better- he seems to lose focus too easily, although I do admire his determination, but Sasuke is _defiantly _the worst, he won't even talk to us, in fact I've never seen him say more than one word to _anyone _since I first started at the academy when I was seven!_ _I wonder if he's scared to get close to others, either that or he's got a superiority complex. Either way I feel sorry for who ever ends up being our instructor-_

My thoughts were cut off by Naruto's hysterical laughter and Sakura's annoying apologizing. I raised my eyes to meet a familiar sight- "YOU!" I yelled pointing an accusing finger towards the silver haired Jonin I met earlier "you were just outside the school but you made us wait? _No one _makes Hikari wait!" I said it all in one breathe and my whole team- including Sasuke- was looking at me as if I lost my mind, but not _sensei, _he just smiled and put his hand to his chin as if he were thinking.

"Hmm…" he thought out loud "how shall I put this? Based on my first impression I'd have to say… I hate you !" Sasuke, naruto and Sakura all sweat dropped, but I wasn't going to take this so faster than I'd ever moved in my life, I reached into my back pocket, pulled out a kunai knife and threw it straight at our new sensei's head. His eyes widened in surprise and he just move out of the way, but not before it sliced a small scratch through his mask "Hikari! What do you think your doing!" sakura yelled in panic "Yeah Hikari!" Naruto added "That was _way_ out of line!"

I glared angrily at the two until they shut up, but still keeping a close eye on sensei, waiting to see if he would strike back, or even scold me. He seemed to be thinking, his eyes narrowed slightly, burning a hole through the air, "well I must say your speed was rather impressive, but-." I gasped as I felt cold metal rest against my neck, I looked back to see a second sensei holding a kunai to my throat "I'm faster." _Shadow clone! _-I recognised the technique from an old scroll I read when I was eight- but I was still prepared.

I smirked as he drove the kunai into my throat and blood splattered around the murder scene and my team mates gasped in horror- even Sasuke's eyes widened! The sensei seemed unmoved, even when the blood and gore was replaced by a chair with a large hole in its back from his kunai. "have you gotten all your anger out Hikari?" he asked in the same bored tone he used when I first met him, naruto and Sakura was speechless but Sasuke just looked slightly impressed.

"Just give me one more second!" I called walking out from behind a desk in the back row. I pulled out three shuriken and threw them at our new sensei, hitting him square in the chest. This time only Sakura and naruto gasped and looked shocked as my target disappeared into thin air and the sensei still standing in the door way sighed and leaned against the door frame.

"I'm good now!" I said grinning happily and the sensei nodded "Whoa! Did you guys plan that! That was **awesome!**" Naruto announced loudly jumping up and down, his smile ten times wider than my own, "no, but now that that's over with shall we be on our way?" our sensei replied bored-ly

Before I knew it we were all on the roof, me, Sakura, Sasuke and naruto sitting on the stairs while our sensei sat on a railing across from us. "Now, I'd like you all to tell us a little about your selves." Our sensei said as if it would solve everything, and it might have worked if Sakura didn't butt in "like what?" ok so it was a reasonable question but _still!_

"You know. The usual, your favourite thing… What you hate most, dreams, ambitions, hobbies. Things like that." He replied with a shrug.

"Help us out here coach! First show its how it's done!" Naruto demanded followed by Sakura's stupid comment "that's right… after all, you're a complete stranger to us… a mystery.

"Oh… me? My name is Kakashi Hatake. I'm the kind of person who doesn't feel like talking about his likes and dislikes! My dreams for the future are none of your business… but anyway, I have lots of hobbies…"

the others seemed confused by his 'interdiction' "he said a lot, but all we really learned was his name..." Sakura had said, but how wrong was she… I learned some valuable information, number one: he's a pervert, I can tell that from the way he said he has lots of hobbies number two: he likes to keep people on edge, scare them, shock them, provoke them, I can tell that from how he was late, and how he introduced himself in the classroom, and number three: I'm not sure but I think he's lost at least one person special to him, I can tell that from his discreetness, most people are like that when they are afraid to build relationships with others because they fear losing them…

My deduction was cut off by Kakashi-sensei "now it's your turn, starting with you on the right." He said pointing at naruto.

Naruto eagerly replied "me, right?" _no shit Sherlock -.-' _ "my name is Uzumaki Naruto!" and then he goes on into a rambling monologue about how he loves ramen and wants to become Hokage so every one will respect him... Blah, blah, blah.

Sakura followed, making her obsession with a certain gloomy genin very clear._ And without even having to say his name- now that's talent!_ Although I have to say her declaration on hatred towards naruto- who obviously likes her- was cold, even for my standards.

Sasuke was probably the most interesting- also the most depressing, but I already knew he hated almost every one and every thing. I also knew about his obsession with killing the person who was responsible for the Uchiha massacre. _Obviously- who wouldn't want revenge?_

Suddenly every ones gazes were resting on me expectantly and I sighed, exasperated.

**A/N **

**so? Good? Bad? its my first story so please tell me by leaving a review! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you Jordan, I appreciate your bluntness :D- most people would have just skirted around the fact that this story sucks and urged me to continue it. I have taken a glance at gman391's 'How to write a fan fiction' as you suggested and plan to read it more thoroughly before attempting to write again.**

**On another note I have to say that while you were blunt you were also seemed to be plainly insulting my writing (not that I blame you ;P ). I had written this when I was nine years old and- had I posted it at that age- you probably would have severely upset me (well it still upset me obviously- or I wouldn't be writing this xD). But I also know when criticizing some ones work through the written word it can be hard to get across your true emotions and intentions- so I bear no ill will and plan to use your words and advice to improve my (lack of) existing writing skills.**

**Yours sincerely,**

**Sam **


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